Foster and Laurie-47 years later

[The Washroom Attendant]

The night of January 27, 1972, was freezing, frigid winter winds whistling down the garbage-strewn streets of the East Village. Snow was on the way. Down on Avenue B, two young patrolmen were walking their beat. Greg Foster, who was 22, was black. Rocco Laurie, a year older, was white. The two had served together as Marines in Vietnam and, as close friends, had received permission to be partners, patrolling one of New York’s most dangerous and drug-infested neighborhoods.
The two were walking south along Avenue B around 10:30 p.m. when they noticed a car parked in front of a hydrant. They ducked into a luncheonette across the street, the Shrimp Boat, and asked the owner if he knew the car. He stepped outside, glanced at it and shook his head, no. Satisfied, Foster and Laurie turned and began to walk back north. As they did, three black men passed, parting to allow the officers to walk between them. One of the men wore a long black coat, another a green fatigue jacket and a black Australian-style bush hat.

A moment after the officers passed, the three men turned and drew pistols, a .38 automatic and two 9-millimeter automatics. Foster and Laurie were a few strides away when the three men began firing directly into their backs. Foster was hit eight times and fell in a heap onto the icy pavement. Six bullets hit Rocco Laurie. All but one struck his arms and legs, but the last pierced his neck, and he staggered forward, clutching at his throat before dropping to his knees and falling, slowly, on his side. As the two men lay dying, their three assassins marched calmly toward them. A witness later claimed one of the shooters hollared, “Shoot ‘em in the balls,” and as the trio stood over the fallen officers, all three again opened fire.

Three bullets were fired directly into Greg Foster’s eyes; two more were shot into Rocco Laurie’s groin. When both men lay still, two of the assassins reached down and wrenched loose their pistols. They then ran toward a waiting Chrysler, while the third man, apparently intoxicated by the moment, reportedly danced a jig over the dead man’s bodies, firing his pistol into the air Wild West-style. Startled to be left behind, he ran off alone, disappearing into the night.

The whine of police sirens echoed within minutes, and the first officers to respond, several answering a disturbance call two blocks away, were quickly on the scene. The sight that met them was stomach-turning. Greg Foster’s head had been destroyed; a sludge of blood and brain matter formed a three-foot long puddle around his corpse. Rocco Laurie had been shot to pieces, bullet wounds up and down his body. An ambulance took Laurie to Bellevue, where he died. Almost everyone who responded had the same thought: These were planned assassinations, no doubt by the same people who launched the first police attacks in New York eight months before, this so-called Black Liberation Army. It took only a few hours to confirm it. Fingerprints found in the getaway car suggested the assassins were Ronald Carter, Twymon Meyers and at least one other member of the Cleveland cell.

www.politico.com/magazine/story/2015/04/the-untold-story-behind-new-yorks-most-brutal-cop-killing-117207

I was too young to be on the job at the time but I lived 3 blocks away and remember all the RMP's turret lights swirling around my ceiling.

[markoccb]

www.nydailynews.com/new-york/nypd-embarrassment-44-years-no-arrests-article-1.2507296

[Prosay]

Twymon Meyers was fingered as being the one who fired most of the shots into Foster and Laurie, and "doing a jig" on their bodies.

The reason why there was no arrest was because Twymon Meyers was "ventilated" on Tinton Ave and 152 St some time afterwards.....

www.nytimes.com/1973/11/16/archives/slaying-of-one-of-the-last-black-liberation-army-leaders-still-at.html

[beachwear]

THE NEXT NIGHT THERE WERE MORE LONG GUNS IN RMP'S THAN EVER BEFORE. REST IN PEACE MY BROTHERS YOU HAVE NEVER BEEN FORGOTTEN.

[beachwear]

THE NEXT NIGHT THERE WERE MORE LONG GUNS IN RMP'S THAN EVER BEFORE. REST IN PEACE MY BROTHERS YOU HAVE NEVER BEEN FORGOTTEN.

[Prosay]

One thing I take some exception to in the NY TIMES article, is the mention that some Fed actually walked up to Meyers and ID himself, and Meyers whipped out a weapon (or two).

From what I heard was this: there were plainclothes everything all over the intersection of Tinton and 152 for most of the early evening, blending in with the rest of the neighborhood. ESU Truck 3 was also in the area, but they backed that truck into the firehouse on Prospect Ave to get it out-of-sight.

When Meyers came out of the building, he was walking through the intersection and stopped, realizing that all the locals were, in fact, cops. Without waiting for Meyers to do something else, the fusillade of the cops "ventilated" him right in the street.

Meyers was, in fact, heavily armed, as they found out later when they examined his body.

[lexordo]

I salute my brothers of yesteryear who battled these mother forkers through the 70’s and even into the early 80’s. I was a teen in those years and watched in awe as my soon to be brothers valiantly held the line. You men are the reason I joined your ranks.
I was lucky enough to have met a a heroic officer who narrowly missed being shot during a chase and ultimate arrest involving these scum in 1981. A true standup, humble man that I would later work alongside.
The man I speak of is an infrequent poster here.

May God watch over all of ours who paid the ultimate sacrifice. May God bless all of ours who fought the scourge

Rest in eternal peace, my brothers

[nuthinbutdatruth]

Amen.

[dustoff262]

Rest in peace brothers. You're sacrifice is not forgotten nor was it in vain.

[bohica9]

Jan 27, 2018 20:13:01 GMT -5 lexordo said:

I salute my brothers of yesteryear who battled these mother forkers through the 70’s and even into the early 80’s. I was a teen in those years and watched in awe as my soon to be brothers valiantly held the line. You men are the reason I joined your ranks.
I was lucky enough to have met a a heroic officer who narrowly missed being shot during a chase and ultimate arrest involving these scum in 1981. A true standup, humble man that I would later work alongside.
The man I speak of is an infrequent poster here.

May God watch over all of ours who paid the ultimate sacrifice. May God bless all of ours who fought the scourge

Rest in eternal peace, my brothers

+ a million.    We had a survivor of the Mosque, who was permanently assigned SH Security in the 25.  Never said much and we all knew why (the city and dept powers that be f'ed over Cardillo and every cop there). #FCUKBENWARD.  Vic had a huge scar on his face.  I too remember this hero's humble demeanor.

[hapd]

NYPD RANT 1998 to THEE RANT 7/13/2017 16,575 posts and who's counting?

As a Housing rookie, I remember having to voucher something at the 9th. the DO was a neighbor in Queens and a good guy BB. He showed me the plaques of all that The Fighting Ninth had lost over the years. I was standing in front of Police Royalty for the first time. It was sobering. I made it a point when reassigned from 5 to 4 to get into the David Sector, which covered the 9th. That's where the action was and that was where I wanted to be. I got it. Loved it and never felt safer that when working in the 9th in Housing. May these men who braved together in Vietnam and survived, only to be shot down by black cowards who had no reason being free to walk the streets of America, never be forgotten. Ripped from life by savages, these two men deserved better fates. There is a book by the prosecutor who after convictions moved to LA and became famous. It was a story that needed telling.

[bohica9]

Jan 27, 2018 21:53:00 GMT -5 hapd said:

NYPD RANT 1998 to THEE RANT 7/13/2017 16,575 posts and who's counting?

As a Housing rookie, I remember having to voucher something at the 9th. the DO was a neighbor in Queens and a good guy BB. He showed me the plaques of all that The Fighting Ninth had lost over the years. I was standing in front of Police Royalty for the first time. It was sobering. I made it a point when reassigned from 5 to 4 to get into the David Sector, which covered the 9th. That's where the action was and that was where I wanted to be. I got it. Loved it and never felt safer that when working in the 9th in Housing. May these men who braved together in Vietnam and survived, only to be shot down by black cowards who had no reason being free to walk the streets of America, never be forgotten. Ripped from life by savages, these two men deserved better fates. There is a book by the prosecutor who after convictions moved to LA and became famous. It was a story that needed telling.

Sometimes LERANT makes me sad.

I was assigned to FTU2 in late 88 and saw those pictures on the wall of the 9th.

For better or worse, I went to the 25 after FTU.

The confines of the 25 has seen it's share of LODD, but it was always from outside commands and never a member of the 25 (the last being PO Randolf Holder of the 23)

After I went to Nassau, Foster's widow lived on my post in Roosevelt.

Suffice it to say, one of Foster's sons had a problem.

Broke my heart to go to her(their) house and deal with it.

[redstone14]

I walked a footpost in Roosevelt when those BLA scum were murdering NYPD Cops. We felt it out in Nassau too. We all had photos of Twymon Meyers and his bunch. There were rumors of sightings in our pct. The long guns were never so numerous in our RMPs too.

R.I.P

[keltec]

I was just a kid when I watched the TV movie Foster & Laurie . It was a very sad and sobering movie . I think I was about 11 yrs old . 

However , it made me want to be a cop even more then before . God rest them and all the fallen .

[dbqsgt]

Those were kind words lexordo. I know that humble Officer, he has the "Combat Cross" hanging on his wall to this day.

To all you guys and gals on patrol where ever you work, watch out for each other and "Stay Safe".

[lexordo]

DBQSGT

Fidelis Ad Mortem

[The Washroom Attendant]

"It was a story that needed telling."
-----------------------------------------------


When I was a rookie in the 3-2, I was assigned a foot-post on 145 St. Some pct veterans took pity on me and let me ride in their back seat for a while.

They took me up to the Polo Grounds/Rangel Houses where Waverly Jones and Joseph Piagentini were assassinated by the same group of MF's and told me the story.

It was important to them that as many people as possible knew that sordid history.

[Chicago PD NorthSide]

When you write about martyred NYPD heroes like Gregory FOSTER and Rocco LAURIE (9th Pct.) and Joseph PIAGENTINI and Waverly JONES (32nd Pct.), never forget that the "mother hen" and "the soul" of the Black Liberation Army was none other than that fugitive cop killer Joanne CHESIMARD aka Assata SHAKUR now living in Havana.   

Between the State of New Jersey and the FBI, a $2,000,000 reward exists for her apprehension and return to prison ALIVE.

[Blue Trumpet]

Between the State of New Jersey and the FBI, a $2,000,000 reward exists for her apprehension and return to prison ALIVE.

They should change the terms to allow for the return of just her head and hands inside a cooler.

[Chicago PD NorthSide]

Blue Trumpet:

I enthusiastically agree concerning the head and hands of Chesimard.

[RetirementIsParole]

I know they were Marines in Viet Nam at the same time, but did they really "serve together" or is that folklore?

[dantroop]

Piagentini and Jones were murdered just before I came on the job and Foster and Laurie murdered just after. These killings did not make me afraid of the job but made more determined to do some good with my life. After the second killings my mother in law bought a bullet proof vest for me, just in case.
Any time I read or hear about these cases I am just as sad and as angry as when they happened almost a half century ago. May these brave officers always be remembered with pride and reverence and their killers be remembered as the scum they were.

[msmajor]

Parents bought me a S&W 39-2 one of the first double action 9mm autos. Fit nicely in the inside pocket of the reefer coat.

[The Washroom Attendant]

47 years

[march302005]

I was assigned to NSU1, in the mid ‘80s. Most of our posts were in the 9th Pct. Going into the SH, and seeing the wall behind the desk, made me instantly want to work there. Many of the officer working there, at the time, were there through the ‘70s, and I was honored to be working with them... Loved my time in the 9th.

Rest In Peace, brothers